A secret ingredient makes these finger-licking, baked low-carb garlic butter Parmesan chicken wings stay juicy and have an extra-crispy skin without frying!
I’ve been pushing myself outside my comfort zone by preparing foods I dislike or have avoided for years. There are some foods I still don’t like, but I have discovered other foods I really enjoy now! I’m so proud of myself for challenging my preconceived notions by giving foods another chance.
Wings are one of those foods I gave a second chance, and I’m so glad I did! I never expected I would love eating meat off the bone. The meat stays juicy, the skin is crispy, and the garlic butter Parmesan sauce takes these wings over the top! While this recipe is not low calorie, it is low-carb friendly.
Science of Baked Low-Carb Garlic Butter Wings
The method used to prepare certain types of food can make the difference between liking or not liking the dish. A lot of techniques used in this recipe are critical to achieving crispy and juicy wings.
Key Ingredient – Baking Powder
In this recipe, baking powder is the secret ingredient used to achieve crispy chicken skin. I adapted this baked Crispy Chicken Thigh recipe from Low Carb with Jennifer.
While researching this recipe, I found the type of baking powder used makes a difference in the final outcome of the recipe. According to this blog post from The Cookful, about 10% of the general population may experience a bitter aftertaste from baking powders containing aluminum. So, for this recipe, I recommend using an aluminum-free baking powder, such as Rumford.
Another important note is baking soda cannot be substituted for the baking powder in this recipe. Baking soda will not crisp skin the same way that baking powder will. This blog post from Sally’s Baking Addiction details the difference between baking soda and baking powder and why they cannot always be interchanged.
Baking Temperature
The low starting oven temperature allows the fats and other juices from the chicken skin start to render and mix with the baking powder. This combination forms carbon dioxide bubbles on the surface of the chicken. Starting the oven temperature low also helps the chicken stay juicy because the fat and other juices are reabsorbed into the chicken meat without evaporating too much. Then, the oven temperature is substantially increased which dries out the surface of the chicken even more. Dry skin is important to achieve extra-crispy skin!
Cooking Rack for Circulation
A baking rack allows air to fully circulate around the chicken, and it elevates the chicken above any fat drippings that may accumulate on the bottom of the pan. These two factors also contribute to achieving crispy skin on all sides of the chicken wings.
Prior to making this recipe, I did not own a cooking rack. I finally bought this one when I decided to try recipe. I purchased this one because it has a supporting cross bar which prevents the rack from being flimsy.
Final Thoughts
These low-carb wings are amazing without a sauce, and if you do not use a sauce I would recommend seasoning the wings with additional salt and pepper when coating the wings. If you coat your wings in a sauce, they are best served immediately. The longer the wings sit in the sauce, the softer the chicken skin will become.
This recipe could be easily modified to use different sauces for the wings. I can’t wait for you to try using baking powder to make your own crispy skinned baked chicken wings.
Let me know what your favorite flavors of wings are and if you try this recipe!
Low-Carb Garlic Butter Parmesan Wings
Ingredients
Crispy Wings
- 1 1/2 lb Chicken Wings
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder *
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
Sauce
- 1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Parsley Dried
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (or 3 cheese Italian blend) Grated or Fresh
Instructions
Crispy Baked Wings
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
- Line a half-sized baking sheet (13 x 18 x 1 inch) with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on the baking sheet, and spray the wire rack with cooking spray.
- If needed, break down wings into drumettes, wingettes, and tips. (Discard tips or save and freeze for chicken stock).
- Dry wings with a paper towel and place wings in a resealable bag. Add baking powder, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of pepper. Close bag and shake until wings are evenly coated.
- Lay wings in an even layer on a baking rack on a baking sheet.
- Cook wings in the oven for 20 minutes at 250 degrees. With the wings still in the oven, turn the heat up to 450 degrees and cook for an additional 30 minutes until browned and crispy.
Garlic Butter Parmesan Sauce
- During the last 10 minutes of the chicken cooking: Melt butter in small saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Add in the salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic powder. Mix to combine and remove from heat.
- Place the cooked wings in a large resealable container. Top the chicken with Parmesan and the butter sauce. Close the container and shake until everything is fully coated.
- Serve immediately.
It is only just recently that I have decided to go low carb. That is why I do not have that many recipes. This article is very helpful!